Number of uninsured kids spikes in Florida to 325k

November 29, 2018 at 12:57 PM EST - Updated November 29 at 2:36 PM

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A new report by Georgetown's Center for Children and Families says the number of uninsured children in the United States has increased for the first time in nearly a decade.

In Florida, the uninsured rate went from 288,000 in 2016 to 325,000 in 2017. South Dakota, Utah, Texas and Georgia also saw significant increases.

Nationally, the number of uninsured children increased by an estimated 276,000 to about 3.9 million in 2017. That compares to a historic low in 2016 when 4.7 children were uninsured.

Experts say the newly uninsured children are clustered in states like Florida that did not expand Medicaid. Under President Obama's Affordable Care Act, Florida could have received federal funding to help pay for health coverage for nearly 900,000 people, but the Republican-led Legislature voted against it.

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